Shaft Seal Assembly

ABSTRACT

A shaft seal assembly may include a stator and a rotor. The rotor may be configured to rotate with a shaft, and the stator may be engaged with a housing. The stator and rotor may be configured with radial and/or axial recesses and/or radial and/or axial projections. These various features may be configured such that the stator and rotor cooperate to form a ring cavity. A cooperating ring may be positioned in the ring cavity, and the cooperating ring may be configured such that is circumferentially expandable so that the cooperating ring changes size and/or shape when it rotates as opposed to when it is not rotating.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the priority of provisional U.S. Pat.App. No. 62/181,644 filed on Jun. 18, 2015, which application isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shaft seal assembly and/or bearingisolator with multiple embodiments. In certain embodiments, the shaftseal assembly may employ a dynamic ring on an interior portion thereof

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

No federal funds were used to create or develop the invention herein.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bearings and bearing housing seals may be responsible for the majorityof rotating equipment failures. There is a close relationship betweenthe lives of these two critical components. The failure of a bearinghousing seal may cause the bearings to fail and poor bearing conditionscan reduce rotating equipment life. It is estimated that a small numberof bearings achieve their minimum design life of from 24,000 to 40,000hours (3 to 5 years), Rain, product leakage, debris, and wash-down waterentering the bearing housing may contaminate the bearing lubricant andhave a catastrophic effect on bearing life. Very small amounts of watercan compromise bearing life. A contamination level of 0.002% water inthe lubricating oil can reduce bearing life by as much as 48%. As littleas 0.10% water is reported to reduce bearing life by as much as 90%.

Auxiliary mechanical equipment shaft seals, sometimes called bearingisolators or sealing rings, have become increasingly important to modernmechanical equipment, especially for equipment called upon to operate inhostile applications. For example, mechanical power transmission unitsused in rock quarries are often subjected to highly abrasive dustparticles, Elastomeric lip or O-ring shaft seals can quickly wear outand fail in environments such as these. Dust and exterior contaminantscannot be excluded from the interior of the transmission housing by afailed standard sealing device. Nor can oil or other fluids be preventedfrom leaking out of the transmission devices past a worn lip seal.

To prevent the ingress of corruption and the egress of lubricatingfluids, a number of auxiliary or improved primary sealing arrangementsand devices have been provided. Some of these sealing devices provide aphysical engagement of the shaft and a wiping action while the shaftoperates. Other devices provide an interengagement and wiping actionbetween seal parts. But in both such arrangements, the inevitablefriction causes inevitable part wear.

For example, lip seals, commonly known as oil seals, are awell-established method of protecting bearing housings from water, dust,chemical or steam contamination. Lip seals normally involve a stationaryelastomeric lip or lips touching the rotating shaft or sleeve at anangle so that contaminants are excluded from the housing. While lipseals have a low initial cost, lip seals have a short protection life,approximately 3,000 hours, due to wear of the elastomer or the shaftitself.

Another type of seal is a labyrinth device that contains a tortuous paththat makes it difficult for contaminants to enter the bearing housing todegrade lubricant effectiveness. The advantages of labyrinths are theirnon-wearing and self-venting features.

Some of these commercially successful seal devices do not require anyactual physical interengagement of the sealing member parts. Among suchdevices that have met with considerable commercial acceptance are thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,706,968; 4,466,620; 4,175,752; 4,114,902;4,022,479; and 4,832,350.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the methods andapparatuses.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a typical machinery housing, bearing, andprotruding shaft upon which is mounted a novel seal of the presentinvention, with the shaft being at rest.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing the seal in furtherdetail.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the seal of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing portions of seal parts asthey appear when the shaft is stationary.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing thebearing seal parts as they appear when the shaft is rotating at anoperating speed.

FIG. 6 is an axial, cross-sectional view showing various aspects of ashaft seal assembly.

FIG. 6A is a detailed view of a top portion of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is an axial, cross-sectional view showing other aspects of ashaft seal assembly.

FIG. 7A is a detailed view of a top portion of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is an axial, cross-sectional view showing further aspects of ashaft seal assembly.

FIG. 8A is a detailed view of a top portion of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is an axial, cross-sectional view showing additional aspects of ashaft seal assembly.

FIG. 9A is a detailed view of a top portion of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is an exploded, perspective view of the shaft seal assemblyshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10A is an axial, cross-sectional view of a top portion of thestator from the shaft seal assembly shown in FIGS. 7, 7A, and 10.

FIG. 10B is an axial, cross-sectional view of a top portion of the rotorfrom the shaft seal assembly shown in FIGS. 7, 7A, and 10.

FIG. 11A is another axial, cross-sectional view of the top portion ofthe stator in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11B is another axial, cross-sectional view of the top portion ofthe rotor in FIG. 10B.

FIG. 11C is an axial, cross-sectional view of the top portion of thestator from FIG. 11A and the top portion of the rotor from FIG. 11Bpositioned adjacent one another.

FIG. 12 is an axial, cross-sectional view of a top portion of a shaftseal assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present methods and apparatuses are disclosed and described,it is to be understood that the methods and apparatuses are not limitedto specific methods, specific components, or to particularimplementations. It is also to be understood that the terminology usedherein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only andis not intended to be limiting.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” oneparticular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When sucha range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the oneparticular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, whenvalues are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent“about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms anotherembodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each ofthe ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, andindependently of the other endpoint.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where itdoes not.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word“comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and“comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intendedto exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps.“Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey anindication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used ina restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes.

Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosedmethods and apparatuses. These and other components are disclosedherein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets,interactions, groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that whilespecific reference of each various individual and collectivecombinations and permutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed,each is specifically contemplated and described herein, for all methodsand apparatuses. This applies to all aspects of this applicationincluding, but not limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, ifthere are a variety of additional steps that can be performed it isunderstood that each of these additional steps can be performed with anyspecific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosedmethods.

Before the various embodiments of the present invention are explained indetail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and the arrangements ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that phraseology and terminology used herein with referenceto device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like“front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like) are onlyused to simplify description of the present invention, and do not aloneindicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have aparticular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”,and “third” are used herein and in the appended claims for purposes ofdescription and are not intended to indicate or imply relativeimportance or significance. Furthermore, any dimensions recited orcalled out herein are for exemplary purposes only and are not meant tolimit the scope of the invention in any way unless so recited in theclaims.

Element Listing (FIGS. 1-5)

Description Element No. Bearing isolator 10 Housing 12 Shaft 13 Bearing14 Stator 20 Rotor 22 Recess 24 O-ring 26 Groove 30 First face 32 Secondface 34 Drain groove 36 Restrictive recess 42 O-ring 44 Flange 50 Matingrecess 52 Female surface 54 Extending surface 56 Seal member 60 Recess62 Side wall 63 Groove 64 Shoulder 66, 68 Shoulder/Corner 70-79Collection groove 80, 82 Mating projection 84 Corner 90-94 Labyrinthpassage 96 Bore 100 

The present disclosure relates generally to mechanical equipment shaftsealing devices and more particularly concerns a shaft seal assembly 10that may effectively seal when a shaft is at rest, and which changesconfigurations so that it may also seal effectively but without frictionwhen the shaft is rotating at an operating speed.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved staticand dynamic seal for use with machinery having a housing through which arotatable shaft protrudes, and which provide effective part-to-partcontact static sealing action when the shaft is stationary, and whichprovide effective non-contact dynamic sealing action when the shaft isrotating at operating speed.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may also provide amachinery seal of the type described in which a solid O-ring seal memberengages both a seal stator and a seal rotor when the shaft is at rest,but in which the sealing member expands circumferentially so as todisengage from the stator when the shaft rotates at a normal operatingspeed.

While the various aspects of the present disclosure will be described inconnection with one or more illustrative aspects, it will be understoodthat it is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosureunless so indicated in the following claims. On the contrary, it isintended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as maybe included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Turning first to FIG. 1, wherein like reference numerals designatesimilar or corresponding elements throughout the various drawings, thereis shown the seal or bearing isolator 10 as it appears when installed onand within a housing 12. A rotatable shaft 13 may protrude through thisseal 10 and the housing 12. A bearing 14 may be functionally interposedbetween the stationary housing 12 and the rotatable shaft 13 in knownmanner.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, one illustrative aspect of a seal 10 maycomprise, in general, a. ring-like stator 20 which may be affixed to thehousing 12 and a mating rotor ring 22 which may be secured to the shaft13 such that the rotor ring 22 follows the rotational motion of theshaft 13. The rotor and stator 20 and 22 can be formed of any suitablematerial, including but not limited to bronze, steel, other metals andtheir alloys, synthetic materials such as polymers, and/or combinationsthereof.

The stator 20 may be designed and sized to fit securely by means of alight metal-to-metal interference fit within a recess 24 formed in thehousing 12. An O-ring, seal 26 of known sort may provide an effectiveand permanent seal between the stator 20 and the housing 12 so as toexclude dust and other contaminants from the outside environment E, andto inhibit or prohibit the leakage of oil or other fluid from thehousing inside I. The stator 20 may be secured to the housing 12 in anysuitable manner using any suitable structure and/or method, includingbut not limited to mechanical fasteners, chemical adhesives, and/orcombinations thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosureis in no way limited by the method and/or structure used to engage thestator 20 with a housing 12 unless so indicated in the following claims.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3, the stator 20 may be annular in generalshape, but may be formed so that its inner surface 28 is generallycylindrical in shape, and may be sized to provide a modest clearancebetween that inner surface 28 and the adjacent outer surface of theshaft 13. Thus, the stator 20 may be rigidly affixed to the housing 12but simultaneously not engage the shaft 13.

To collect lubricating fluids and inhibit their passage down the shaft13, an annular fluid catchment groove 30 may be formed in the interiorof the stator 20, The illustrated groove 30 may be provided with a firstor downstream face 32, which downstream face 32 may be orientedgenerally perpendicularly to the axis A of the shaft 13. The groove 30may be provided with a second opposed face 34, which may be conical inshape. This configuration of a groove 30 has been found to be effectivein collecting oil or other fluids that may flow along the surface of theshaft 13 in a direction leading from the interior I of the housing 12towards the exterior environment E. A return or drain groove 36 may belocated at the bottom of the stator 20, and may be sloped toward theshaft axis such that it collects the accumulated oil or other fluid andencourages its return to the interior bottom of the housing 12.

The rotor 22 may be affixed to and rotate with the shaft 13, To thisend, the rotor 22 may be provided with a restrictive recess 42 in whichan O-ring 44 may be mounted. The O-ring 44 may be sized and otherwisedesigned to be moderately compressed within the recess 42 and as toengage the shaft 13 with a modest amount of compressive pressure, whichmay be accomplished using any suitable manner. The rotor 30 may besecured to the shaft 13 in any suitable manner using any suitablestructure and/or method, including but not limited to mechanicalfasteners, chemical adhesives, and/or combinations thereof Accordingly,the scope of the present disclosure is in no way limited by the methodand/or structure used to engage the rotor 22 with a shaft 13 unless soindicated in the following claims.

To provide a static seal between the stator 20 and the stationary rotor22, the rotor 22 may be formed with an axially-extending flange 50, andthe stator 20 may be provided with a mating recess 52. At their radiallyinner portions, the rotor flange 50 may be configured to define anaxially-extending, cylindrical female surface 54 and the stator 20 maybe configured with a mating, confronting, underlying, axially-extendingsurface 56. Between these surfaces 54 and 56 may be interposed a solid,yet stretchable O-ring-type seal member 60, which may engage both thestator 20 and the rotor 22 when the shaft 13 and rotor 22 are at rest.

In an illustrative aspect, this stretchable seal member 60 may bedisposed in a recess 62 formed in the rotor flange 50, and the sealmember 60 may be sized and shaped so as to engage the confronting andadjacent stator male surface 56 and the opposite side walls 63 of recess62 when the rotor 22 and shaft 13 are not in motion. To improveseal-stator engagement and sealing contact when the seal 10 and rotor 22are at rest, the stator surface 56 may be interrupted by a groove 64,which may be axially centered relative to the recess 62. This groove 64may be configured to define two opposed shoulders 66, 68. The shoulders66, 68 may be configured to engage the resilient seal member 60 alongtwo opposed annular lines of contact when the rotor 22 is not in motion.Thus, positive, physical seal engagement may occur between the sealmember 60 and the stator 20 along the two opposed annular shoulders 66,68; and positive, physical engagement between the seal member 60 and therotor 22 may occur at all times along annular lines of contact 69between the seal member 60 and the side walls 63 of the recess 62. A gapmay exist between seal member 60 and the bottom wall 65 of recess 62when the rotor 22 is stationary. The at-rest configuration of the sealparts is shown in FIG. 4.

The solid seal member 60 may centrifugate away from its engagement withthe stator 20 when the rotor 22 and shaft 13 are turning at an operatingspeed, as shown particularly in FIG. 5. Recess 62 may be formed with anexcessive radial depth, which may allow seal 60 to expand or stretchcircumferentially during rotation, so that the seal member 60 disengagesfrom surface 56 of stator 20. This lift-off or seal member 60disengagement may occur due to the centrifugal force applied to and/orexperienced by the seal member 60, which may cause that seal member 60to stretch radially as it slides along the walls 63 of the recess 62 andaway from the underlying stator male surface 56, as particularly shownin FIG. 5. Under these circumstances, the seal member 60 andcorresponding elements of a bearing isolator 10 may be configured sothat there is no physical interengagement between any static portion ofthe bearing isolator 10 and any rotating portion thereof when the shaft13 is turning at its operating speed. Accordingly, the sealing member 60may be dynamically effective to inhibit the ingress of contaminants orthe egress of fluids, yet simultaneously be frictionless and not wear inoperation.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the seal member 60 may have a substantiallycircular cross section, both at rest and when rotated. When the shaft isat rest, there may be approximately a 0.010 inch space between sealmember 60 and the bottom wall 65 of recess 62. The gap allows a 0.010inch lift-off of the seal member 60 from stator surface 56, with acorresponding 0.020 inch increase in circumference of the seal member60.

A lubricant, such as grease or the like, may be utilized in groove 64 soas to reduce the friction between the seal member 60 and the stator 20at the initial rotational startup of shaft 13, before a sufficientoperational speed is achieved to produce lift-off of the seal member 60from the stator 20. The seal member 60 may be a solid toroid formed froma nitrile or flora-elastomer material, such as viton, which ismanufactured by Du Pont. The seal member 60 may be formed to have a lowdurometer hardness, shore A, ranging from 40-70 so that the seal member60 is resiliently deformable. As will be understood by those skilled inthe relevant arts, the seal member 60 may be configured such that itincreasingly deforms and lifts away from engagement with the underlyingstator 20 as the centrifugal forces increase. These centrifugal forcesincrease in squared proportion to the linear speed of the moving sealingmember 60.

Certain aspects of a bearing isolator 10 may include additional surfaceformations in the stator recess 52 and mating rotor flange 50, which mayserve to inhibit the ingress of contaminants and the egress of fluids,especially when the shaft 13 is rotating. Specifically, the rotor flange50 may be formed so as to have a series of shoulders or corners 70-79and annular collection grooves 80, 82. The stator recess 52 likewise maybe provided with a mating projection 84 and corners 90-94. Theseconcentric stator 20 and rotor 22 rings may be configured to define anannular, convoluted, labyrinth passage 96 of extended length and varioussizes or thicknesses. This path may be, at its thinnest portion, from0.007 inches to 0.150 inches in radius or thickness. Consequently, therotor 22 can spin or rotate within the stator 20 with practically zerofriction between the respective surfaces. The labyrinth path 96 mayeffectively prevent lubricants from passing outwardly from the interiorhousing I to the exterior E, and also may prevent the ingress ofcontaminants from the exterior E of the interior I.

A radially inwardly extending bore 100 may be formed at the bottom ofthe stator 22, which bore 100 may communicate with the collection groove96. The bore 100 may be configured to lead to the outside E of themachine housing 12, and permit contaminants and other materials that mayhave collected within the collection groove 96 to expel out of and awayfrom the bearing isolator 10. It will be observed that the manufactureof the stator 20, the rotor 22 and the seal member 60 can beaccomplished quickly and easily by known methods. When assembled, thestator 20 and rotor 22 may be configured such that they do notphysically engage one another and are interference-free both inconfiguration and in dynamic operation.

The various aspects of a bearing isolator 10 disclosed herein may beconfigured to provide an isolator mechanism for use with a machineryhousing 12 and a rotatable shaft 13 protruding through the housing 12.The illustrative embodiments may generally comprise a stator 20configured for engagement with the housing 12 and a rotor 22 configuredfor engagement with the shaft 13. The stator 20 and rotor 22 may beshaped so that the stator 20 includes a portion configured as a malecylindrical surface, and the rotor 22 may be shaped so that it includesa portion configured as a female cylindrical surface located radiallyoutwardly of the stator male surface. A seal member 60 may be positionedadjacent the rotor female surface and engage the stator male surfacewhen the rotor 22 and seal member 60 are at rest. However, the sealmember 60 may be configured such that it is stretched by centrifugalforce into a configuration out of engagement with the stator 20 when therotor 22 and seal member 60 are moving at operating speeds. Otheraspects of a bearing isolator 10 may include different combinations offeatures and/or functionality without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure unless so indicated in the followingclaims.

Element Listing (FIGS. 6-12)

Description Element No. Shaft seal assembly 10 Housing 12 Shaft 14O-ring 18 Skate 18a Stator 20 Stator body 21 Stator O-ring groove 21aShoulder 21b Sealing member groove 22 Interior drain 23 Axial projection26 External drain 27 Radial projection 28 Sloped projection 28a Axialgroove 29 Radial groove 29a Rotor 30 Rotor body 31 Rotor base 31a Rotorsealing member groove 32 First axial interface gap 34a First radialinterface gap 34b Rotor axial projection 36 Rotor radial projection 38Rotor sloped projection 38a Rotor axial groove 39 Rotor radial groove39a Ring cavity 50 Cooperating recess 51 Radial vertex 51a Axial vertex51b Cooperating ring 52 Recess seat 53 Recess ramp 54 Inflection point54a Recess outer surface 55 Recess lip 55a Cooperating projection 56Radial surface 56a Angled surface 56b Axial surface 56c Terminal surface56d Cooperating interface 57

Various illustrative aspects of a shaft seal assembly 10 are shown inFIGS. 6-12, which provide axial, cross-sectional views of four shaftseal assemblies 10. It is contemplated that the illustrative shaft sealassemblies 10 disclosed herein may be specifically adapted for use withmechanical equipment, and may be configured to effectively seal aportion of the equipment both when a shaft 14 is at rest and when theshaft 14 is rotating at an operating speed (which illustrative shaftseal assemblies 10 may achieve without friction). A portion of the shaftseal assembly 10 may change configuration when the shaft 14 is static asopposed to when the shaft 14 is rotating to provide this functionality.

As shown, the shaft seal assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 6-12 may include astator 20 and a rotor 30. The stator 20 may be configured for engagementwith a housing 12, which housing 12 may have a shaft 14 extendingtherefrom and rotatable with respect thereto. A portion of the stator 20may extend into the housing 12, and the length of the portion of thestator that extends into the housing 12 may be limited by a shoulder 21b (and/or radial projection 28) that may be formed in a radiallyexterior surface of the stator 20. A stator 20 may be engaged with ahousing 12 via one or more O-rings 18, wherein each O-ring 18 maycorrespond to a stator O-ring groove 21 a, which may be formed in asurface of the stator main body 22 that is adjacent a housing 12 duringuse. However, the stator 20 may be secured to a housing 12 in anysuitable structure and/or method, which include but are not limited tomechanical fasteners, chemical adhesives, welding, interference fit,and/or combinations thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the presentdisclosure is in no way limited by the method and/or structure used toengage the stator 20 with a housing 12 unless so indicated in thefollowing claims.

The rotor 30 may be configured to engage the shaft 14 in such a mannerthat the rotor 30 rotates with the shaft 14. In an aspect, the rotor 30may be engaged with the shaft 14 via one or more O-rings 18, whereineach O-ring 18 may correspond to a rotor O-ring groove 31 a. However,any suitable structure and/or method may be used to engage the rotor 30with the shaft 14, including but not limited to mechanical fasteners,chemical adhesives, welding, interference fit, and/or combinationsthereof. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is in no waylimited by the method and/or structure used to engage the rotor with ashaft 14 unless so indicated in the following claims.

The stator 20 may be formed with at least one axial projection 26 and/orat least one radial projection 28 extending from a stator body 21,and/or it may be configured with one or more axial and/or radial grooves29, 29 a. An axial and/or radial groove 29, 29 a may be formed in thestator body 21, an axial projection 26, and/or a radial projection 28.Each groove 29, 29 a may extend around the entire feature on which thegroove 29, 29 a is formed, such that the groove 29, 29 a is an annulargroove. Similarly, each projection 26, 28 may extend around the entirestator 20 such that it is an annular projection 26, 28. Additionally, anaxial and/or radial projection 26, 28 may extend from the stator body21, an axial projection 26, a radial projection 28, an axial groove 29,and/or a radial groove 29 a. As is evident from the various figures,projections 26, 28 may cooperate to from grooves 29, 29 a and viceversa.

In a similar manner, the rotor 30 may be formed with at least one rotoraxial projection 36 and/or at least one rotor radial projection 38extending from a rotor body 31, and/or it may be configured with one ormore rotor axial and/or radial grooves 39, 39 a. A rotor axial and/orradial groove 39, 39 a may be formed in the rotor body 31, a rotor axialprojection 36, and/or a rotor radial projection 38. Each rotor groove39, 39 a may extend around the entire feature on which the rotor groove39, 39 a is formed, such that the rotor groove 39, 39 a is an annulargroove. Similarly, each rotor projection 36, 38 may extend around theentire rotor 30 such that it is an annular rotor projection 36, 38.Additionally, a rotor axial and/or radial projection 36, 38 may extendfrom the rotor body 31, a rotor axial projection 36, a rotor radialprojection 38, a rotor axial groove 39, and/or a rotor radial groove 39a. As is evident from the various figures, rotor projections 36, 38 maycooperate to form rotor grooves 39, 39 a and vice versa.

The stator 20 and rotor 30 may be configured such that at least oneprojection 26, 28 in the stator 20 corresponds to at least one rotorgroove 39, 39 a and/or such that at least one rotor projection 36, 38corresponds to at least one groove 29, 29 a formed in the stator 20. Inthis way, the stator 20 and rotor 30 may be configured such that thevarious grooves 29, 29 a and/or projections 26, 28 of the stator 20cooperate with various rotor grooves 39, 39 a and/or rotor projections36, 38 to form a labyrinth seal and/or passage between the stator 20 androtor 30. It is contemplated that a labyrinth passage between the stator20 and rotor 30 may serve to mitigate/prevent egress of lubricant fromthe housing 12 through the shaft seal assembly 10 while simultaneouslyserving to mitigate/prevent ingress of contaminants from the externalenvironment through the shaft seal assembly 10 to the housing 12.

The shaft seal assemblies 10 shown in FIGS. 6-12 may be configured toprovide at least the various benefits associated with the embodiments ofa bearing isolator 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5, and such that the shaft sealassembly 10 operates in a manner similar to that of the bearing isolatorshown in FIGS. 1-5. However, the various elements, functionality,descriptions, etc. of any bearing isolator 10 disclosed herein in no waylimits the scope of any shaft seal assembly 10 and vice versa.

Generally, whereas a ring cavity 50 (that is, the portion of the bearingisolator 10 configured to accommodate the seal member 60) in the bearingisolator 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5 includes surfaces that are eitherparallel to or perpendicular to the rotational axis of the shaft 14 (andmore specifically two surfaces that are perpendicular and one surfacethat is parallel thereto), the embodiments of a shaft seal assembly 10shown in FIGS. 6-12 may include a ring cavity 50 with at least somesurfaces that generally may be oriented other than perpendicular to orperpendicular with respect to the rotational axis of the shaft 14, andwhich ring cavity 50 may have more than three surfaces as described indetail below.

As shown in FIGS. 6-9A and 10A-11C, a shaft seal assembly 10 may beformed with a ring cavity 50 therein, a portion of which ring cavity 50may be occupied by a cooperating ring 52 during use. It is contemplatedthat in an aspect of the shaft seal assembly 10, the cooperating ring 52may be formed and/or configured in a manner that is substantiallysimilar to that of the seal member 60 as previously described herein fora bearing isolator 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5. That is, the cooperating ring52 may be formed of a solid, yet stretchable material, such that thecooperating ring 52 may expand radially outward when subjected to apredetermined amount of centrifugal force. The cooperating ring 52 maybe configured to physically engage the stator 20 and/or rotor 30 at oneor more surfaces 56 b, 56 c (which may be formed as generally radiallyinward surfaces formed in the stator 20 and/or rotor 30) of the ringcavity 50 when the shaft 14 (and consequently the rotor 30 andcooperating ring 52) is at rest with respect to the housing 12 andstator 20.

When the shaft 14 (and consequently, the rotor 30) begin to rotate at apredetermined speed, the centrifugal force therefrom may cause thecooperating ring 52 to be stretched by that centrifugal force such thatthe cooperating ring 52 disengages one or more surfaces 56 b, 56 c. Thecooperating ring 52 may be configured such that it expands radially (dueto this centrifugal force) until it engages a recess ramp 54 and/orrecess outer surface :55, recess ramp 54 and recess outer surface 55 areshown formed in the rotor 30 in the shaft seal assembly 10 in FIGS.6-12. However, the recess ramp 54 and/or recess outer surface 55 may bedifferently configured without limitation unless so indicated in thefollowing claims.

Referring generally to FIGS. 10A-11C, which provide various axialcross-sectional views of a shaft seal assembly 10 also shown in FIGS. 6and 6A, the rotor 30 and stator 20 may be configured to form a ringcavity 50 therebetween. In conjunction with a cooperating recess 51formed in a portion of the rotor 30, a cooperating projection 56 formedin a portion of the stator 20 may provide various boundaries of a ringcavity 50. A detailed, cross-sectional view of a top portion of a stator20 is shown in FIG. 11A and a corresponding view of a rotor 30 is shownin FIG. 11B. Both the stator 20 and the rotor 30 are shown together inFIG. 11C.

Referring generally to FIG. 11A, in an aspect, a cooperating projection56 may define a radial surface 56 a, an angled surface 56 b, and anaxial surface 56 c. As shown, the stator 20 may include three distinctangled surfaces 56 b, wherein a first angled surface 56 b is positionedadjacent the radial surface 56 a, a third angled surface 56 b ispositioned adjacent the axial surface 56 c, and a second angled surface56 b is positioned between the first and third angled surfaces 56 b. Inan aspect, the three angled surfaces 56 b may be configured to provide agradual, relatively smooth transition from the radial surface 56 a tothe axial surface 56 c, wherein the first angled surface 56 b is angledwith respect to the radial surface 56 a may a relatively slight amount,the second angled surface 56 b is angled with respect to the radialsurface 56 a by a relatively greater amount, and the third angledsurface 56 b is angled with respect to the radial surface 56 a by arelatively large amount (and vice versa with respect to the axialsurface 56 c). Additionally, the various transitions from a radialsurface 56 a to an angled surface 56 b, from an angled surface 56 b toan angled surface 56 b, and from an angled surface to an axial surface56 c may be smooth and/or radiused. It is contemplated that thisgradual, relatively smooth transition from the radial surface 56 a tothe axial surface 56 c may aide in proper placement of the cooperatingring 52 when the shaft 14 is at rest, as described further below.

The cooperating projection 56 may end at a terminal surface 56 d. In anaspect, the terminal surface 56 d may be radially oriented such that itmay be generally perpendicular to the axial surface 56 c. However, theterminal surface 56 d may be differently configured in other aspects ofthe shaft seal assembly 10 without limitation unless so indicated in thefollowing claims. In an aspect, when the shaft 14 is at rest, at least aportion of the cooperating ring 52 may engage at least one angledsurface 56 b and/or the axial surface 56 c formed in the stator 20 andsimultaneously engage at least a recess ramp 54 and/or a generallyaxially interior surface of a rotor radial projection 38. In thismanner, the cooperating ring 52 may prevent contaminants within the ringcavity 50 from moving past the cooperating ring 52 toward the shaft 14through a cooperating interface 57 positioned between the terminalsurface 56 d and a generally axially interior surface of the rotor 30.

In other aspects, the cooperating projection 56 may have more or fewersurfaces 56 a, 56 b, 56 c, and/or multiple radial surfaces 56 a, angledsurfaces 56 b, and/or axial surfaces 56 c, and/or may have multipleangled surfaces 56 c differently configured without limitation unless soindicated in the following claims. A portion of the radial surface 56 amay be positioned adjacent a portion of the rotor 30 during use. In anaspect, the portion of the rotor 30 adjacent the radial surface 56 a maybe a rotor projection 36, 38, 38 a, which may be formed with a radiallyoriented surface thereon to compliment the radial surface 56 a as shownat least in FIGS. 11A-11C. However, other configurations of an interfacebetween any feature of the rotor 30 and any feature of a cooperatingprojection 56 may be used without limitation unless so indicated in thefollowing claims. Together, the cooperating recess 51 and cooperatingprojection 56 may form all or a portion of the ring cavity 50 asdescribed in further detail below.

Referring generally to FIG. 11B, in an aspect a cooperating recess 51may be formed generally in a rotor axial projection 36. The cooperatingrecess may be formed with a radial vertex 51 a at its radially outwardextreme, wherein the radial vertex 51 a may be configured as arelatively smooth curve. However, in other aspects the radial vertex 51a may be differently configured without limitation unless so indicatedin the following claims. The rotor 30 may be formed with one or moreradial bores (not shown) extending from a portion of the cooperatingrecess 51 radially outward through a rotor axial projection 36 toprovide a pathway in the radial direction from the ring cavity 50 to agenerally radially exterior interface between the rotor 30 and thestator 20.

A recess outer surface 55 may be formed on either side of the radialvertex 51 a, and each recess outer surface may extend away from theradial vertex 51 a in a direction that is angled with respect to theaxis of rotation of the shaft 14 and a plane that is perpendicular tothat axis, wherein a component of the direction may be generallyradially inward (i.e., toward the shaft 14). In an aspect, the angle ofthe recess outer surfaces 55 with respect to the axis of rotation of theshaft 14 may be between 5 and 90 degrees, and one recess outer surface55 may be differently angled than the other without limitation unless soindicated in the following claims. In an aspect, one recess outersurface 55 may extend from the radial vertex 51 a in a generallyradially and axially inward direction (e.g., the recess outer surface 55on the left-hand side of FIGS. 6-12) and another recess outer surface 55may extend from the radial vertex 51 a in a generally radially inwardand axially outward direction (e.g., the recess outer surface 55 on theright-hand side of FIGS. 6-12). Again, other configurations of recessouter surfaces 55 may be used without limitation unless so indicated inthe following claims.

Still generally referring to FIG. 11B, in an aspect a cooperating recess51 may be formed with an axial vertex 51 b, such that at least onerecess outer surface 55 may be defined on a first end thereof by aradial vertex 51 a and on a second end thereof by an axial vertex 51 b.The axial vertex 51 b may be configured as a relatively smooth curve.However, in other aspects the axial vertex 51 b may be differentlyconfigured without limitation unless so indicated in the followingclaims. Another recess outer surface 55 may be defined on a first endthereof by the radial vertex 51 a and on a second end thereof by arecess lip 55 a. The recess lip 55 a may be angled with respect to therecess outer surface 55 such that the angle between the recess outersurface 55 and the rotational axis of the shaft 14 is greater than thatbetween the recess lip 55 a and the rotational axis of the shaft 14.However, in other aspects the recess lip 55 a may be differentlyconfigured without limitation unless so indicated in the followingclaims.

As previously described with respect to a radial surface 56 a, a portionof the rotor 30 may be positioned adjacent the radial surface 56 a. Inan aspect, the portion of the rotor 30 adjacent the radial surface 56 amay a generally axially interior surface of a rotor axial projection 36,which generally axially interior surface may be parallel with respect tothe radial surface 56 a and other surfaces of which may form portions ofthe cooperating recess 51. However, as explained above, the radialsurface 56 a is not limited such that it must be perpendicular withrespect to the rotational axis of the shaft 14, and consequently,neither is the surface of the rotor 30 adjacent the radial surface 56 aso limited, unless so indicated in the following claims. In an aspectwherein the radial surface 56 a is not perpendicular to the rotationalaxis of the shaft 14, the surface of the rotor 30 adjacent the radialsurface 56 a may be similarly angled, such that it may be parallel tothe radial surface 56 a. However, other configurations of an interfacebetween any feature of the rotor 30 and any feature of a cooperatingprojection 56 may be used without limitation unless so indicated in thefollowing claims.

In an aspect, a recess ramp 54 may extend from an axial vertex 51 b, andmay to so in a generally radially inward and axially inward direction.The recess ramp 54 may be angled with respect to the radial of the shaft14 by an amount between 3 and 70 degrees. In an aspect, the recess ramp54 and the recess outer surface 55 that does not terminate at the axialvertex 51 b may be parallel with respect to one another. However, thespecific configuration of the recess ramp 54, vertices 51 a, 51 b,and/or outer recess surfaces 55 in no way limits the scope of thepresent disclosure unless so indicated in the following claims.

The recess ramp 54 may be defined on a first end thereof by an axialvertex 51 b and on a second end thereof by an inflection point 54 a.From the inflection point 54 a, a rotor radial projection 38 may extendin a generally radially inward direction. An axially interior surface ofthis rotor radial projection 38 may be configured such that it isgenerally parallel with respect to the radius of the shaft 14. As theshaft 14 (and consequently, the rotor 30) begin to rotate, the recessramp 54 and/or a rotor radial projection 38 may contact the cooperatingring 52, thereby imparting rotational energy thereto, which may causethe cooperating ring 52 to rotate. The centrifugal force of the rotationof the cooperating ring 52 may cause the cooperating ring 52 to extendradially outward such that a portion thereof moves in direction from anarea on the recess ramp 54 adjacent the inflection point 54toward theaxial vertex 51 b, and from the axial vertex 51 b toward the radialvertex 51 a. In an aspect, a portion of the cooperating ring 52 may seatwithin the radial vertex 51 a when the shaft 14 is at an operationalspeed. Further, the cooperating ring 52 and ring cavity 50 may beconfigured such that when the shaft 14 is at an operation speed, noportion of the cooperating ring 52 is in physical contact with thestator 20. The various surfaces 56 a, 56 b, 56 c in the cooperatingprojection 56 may be configured such that in the event that thecooperating ring 52 contacts one of those surfaces 56 a, 56 b, 56 c whenthe shaft 14 is rotating, those surfaces 56 a, 56 b, 56 c may serve tourge the cooperating ring 52 toward the rotor 30 such that any contactbetween the stator 20 and the cooperating ring 52 when the shaft 14 isrotating may be nominal.

Referring now generally to FIG. 12, in an aspect the recess ramp 54 maybe configured such that it is not parallel with respect to the opposedrecess outer surface 55 (that is, the recess outer surface 55 that isnot positioned between the radial vertex 51 a and axial vertex 51 b).More specifically, the recess ramp 54 and the opposed recess outersurface 55 may be configured such that the cooperating ring 52 may becompressed between the recess ramp 54 and a portion of the opposedrecess outer surface 55 as the cooperating ring 52 is urged toward theradial vertex 51 a due to the centrifugal force from the rotation of theshaft 14 (and consequently, the rotor 30). Still generally referring toFIG. 12, the two recess outer surfaces 55 may be at an angle greaterthan 90 degrees with respect to one another, as may the recess outersurface 55 adjacent the recess ramp 54 and the recess ramp 54. Further,the length of the recess outer surface 55 between the radial vertex 51 aand axial vertex 51 b may be less than that of the recess outer surface55 that is opposed to the recess ramp 54. Of course, otherconfigurations of the various surfaces of the ring cavity 50 may beimplemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

Still generally referring to FIG. 12 (in conjunction with FIGS.11A-11C), the cooperating projection 56 may be configured such that anaxial surface 56 c is not required. As shown in FIG. 12, the cooperatingprojection 56 may be configured such that an angled surface 56 b ispositioned adjacent a terminal surface 56 d. Accordingly, the scope ofthe present disclosure is not limited to shaft seal assemblies 10 havingan axial surface 56 c unless so indicated in the following claims.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 11A-12, the stator 20 and the rotor 30may be configured such that the inflection point 54 a formed in therotor 30 may be at approximately the same radial distance from therotational axis of the shaft 14 as the transition between the terminalsurface 56 d and the axial surface 56 c or angled surface 56 b. However,other configurations may be used without limitation unless so indicatedin the following claims.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 6, 6A, 7, 7A, 8, and 8A the shaft sealassembly 10 may be configured such that the stator 20 includes a slopedprojection 28 a and the rotor 30 includes a rotor sloped projection 38a. The sloped projection 28 a and the rotor sloped projection 38 a maybe configured to cooperate with one another to provide a snap-togetherfunctionality between the stator 20 and the rotor 30, whichfunctionality is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,014 and willnot be discussed further herein for purposes of brevity.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 8 and 8A, the shaft seal assembly 10may be configured such that a first external interface between thestator 20 and the rotor 30 is located along a generally radiallyoriented plane at a radial projection 28 and a rotor radial projection38, wherein both the radial projection 28 and rotor radial projection 38may have an exterior surface thereon (e.g., the surface to the right inFIGS. 8 and 8A). Moving in a generally axially inward direction from theinterface (i.e., from right to left per the orientation shown in FIGS. 8and 8A), the distance between the radial projection 28 and the rotorradial projection 38 may increase. That is, the radial dimension of thefirst external interface between the stator 20 and the rotor 30 mayincrease in a generally axially inward direction. Accordingly, anymaterial located within a radial groove 29 a and/or rotor radial groove39 a adjacent this interface may be subjected to a type of funnel fromthe interior of the shaft seal assembly 10 to the exterior thereof,easing egress of contaminants from the interior of the shaft sealassembly 10 to the exterior thereof. Furthermore, if a contaminant(e.g., water) is sprayed toward the exterior of the shaft seal assembly10 adjacent this interface, the interface opens from the exterior to theinterior such that it may cause the contaminant spray to spread out in afan-like pattern, which may frustrate ingress of the contaminant intothe shaft seal assembly 10.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the shaft seal assembly maybe configured such that the rotor 30 thereof may be formed of twodistinct portions comprising a rotor base 30 a and a rotor body 31. Inan aspect, the stator 20 and rotor 30 may be unitized so as to mitigateand/or eliminate separation of the rotor 30 from the stator 20 uponaxial movement of the stator 20 and/or rotor 30 relative to the shaft 14and/or housing 12.

The rotor base 30 a may be configured to engage the shaft 14 in such amanner that the rotor base 30 a rotates with the shaft 14. The rotorbody 31 may be configured to engage the rotor base 30 a in such a mannerthat the rotor body 31 rotates with the rotor base 30 a. In an aspect,the rotor base 30 a may be engaged with the shaft 14 via one or moreO-rings 18, wherein each O-ring 18 may correspond to a rotor O-ringgroove 31 a formed in the rotor base 30 a. The rotor body 31 may beengaged with the rotor base 30 a via one or more O-rings 18, whereineach O-ring 18 may correspond to a rotor O-ring groove 31 a formed inthe rotor base 30 a and/or rotor body 31. However, any suitablestructure and/or method may be used to engage the rotor base 30 a withthe shaft 14 and/or to engage the rotor base 30 a with the rotor body31, including but not limited to mechanical fasteners, chemicaladhesives, welding, interference fit, and/or combinations thereof.Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is in no way limited bythe method and/or structure used to engage the rotor base 30 a with ashaft 14 and/or used to engage the rotor base 30 a with the rotor body31 unless so indicated in the following claims.

The rotor base 30 a may be formed with at least one rotor axialprojection 36 and/or at least one rotor radial projection 38 extendingfrom the rotor base 30 a, and/or it may be configured with one or morerotor axial and/or radial grooves 39, 39 a. A rotor axial and/or radialgroove 39, 39 a may be formed in the rotor base 30 a, a rotor axialprojection 36, and/or a rotor radial projection 38 of the rotor base 30a. Each rotor groove 39, 39 a may extend around the entire feature onwhich the rotor groove 39, 39 a is formed, such that the rotor groove39, 39 a is an annular groove. Similarly, each rotor projection 36, 38may extend around the entire rotor base 30 a such that it is an annularrotor projection 36, 38. Additionally, a rotor axial and/or radialprojection 36, 38 may extend from the rotor base 30 a, a rotor axialprojection 36, a rotor radial projection 38, a rotor axial groove 39,and/or a rotor radial groove 39 a. As is evident from the variousfigures, rotor projections 36, 38 may cooperate to form rotor grooves39, 39 a and vice versa.

In an aspect, the shaft seal assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 9 and 9A may beconfigured such that a radial groove 29 a formed in the stator 20 maycorrespond to a rotor radial groove 39 a formed in the rotor base 30 aon a generally axially interior portion of the shaft seal assembly 10(i.e., toward the left side of FIGS. 9 and 9A). The shaft seal assembly10 may also be configured such that another radial groove 29 a formed inthe stator 20 may correspond to a rotor radial groove 39 a formed in therotor body 31 at an axial and radial position interior of the shaft sealassembly 10 with respect to both a first axial interface gap 34 a and afirst radial interface gap 34 b. However, the rotor body 31, rotor base30 a, and stator 20 a may be differently configured without limitationunless so indicated in the following claims.

Still generally referring to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the stator 20 may be formedwith a stator O-ring groove 21 a configured to accept a skate 18 a. Itis contemplated that the skate 18 a, stator 20, and rotor base 30 a maybe configured such that a bottom tangent line on the skate 18 a isapproximately collinear with an exterior surface of the rotor base 30 aadjacent the skate 18 a. A compliant skate 18 a may accommodate acertain amount of radial shaft 14 movement and/or other misalignmentwhile simultaneously maintaining a minimum possible clearance betweenthe stator 20 and the rotor base 30 a adjacent an interior portion ofthe shaft seal assembly 10. This minimal clearance may help to coalescelubricant mist back to a liquid form, and it may also mitigate excessgrease (or other lubricant) from entering into any interfaces betweenthe stator 20 and the rotor 30. The skate 18 a may be constructed of anaturally lubricious, relatively soft, and relatively compliantmaterial, including but not limited to PTFE.

The illustrative aspects of a shaft seal assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 6-12may provide several benefits for various applications over the bearingisolator 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5. For example, in the shaft seal assembly10 shown in FIGS. 6-12, because the recess ramp 54 may be angled otherthan perpendicularly with respect to the rotational axis of the shaft14, the specific distance between the recess ramp 54 and recess outersurface 55 of the cooperating recess 51 with respect to thecross-sectional diameter of the cooperating ring 52 is not as criticalas it is for various embodiments of the bearing isolator 10. That is,the configuration of the ring cavity 50 in the shaft seal assembly 10shown in FIGS. 6-12 may enhance the rotor's 30 ability to impartrotational energy to the cooperating ring 52 via the recess ramp 54without the need for extremely critical tolerances between the edges ofthe cooperating ring 52 and various surfaces of the ring cavity 50. Incertain illustrative aspects of the shaft seal assembly 10, the rotor 30may induce rotation of the cooperating ring 52 via elastomeric tensionof the cooperating ring 52 itself rather than relying on a dimensionaltolerance of a feature formed in the rotor 30 with respect to thecross-sectional width of the cooperating ring 52.

Another advantage of a shaft seal assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 6-12 mayhave is that the cooperating ring 52 may contact multiple surfaces whenthe shaft 14 is not rotating. As shown in FIGS. 6-9A (which provide arepresentation of the shaft seal assembly 10 when the shaft 14 is notrotating) and as may be evident from FIGS. 11A, 11B, & 11C, thecooperating ring 52 may simultaneously engage at least a recess ramp 54,an axial surface 56 c, and an angled surface 56 b.

When the shaft 14 is rotating, which causes the rotor 30 to rotate, therecess ramp 54 formed in the cooperating recess 51 may impart rotationalenergy to the cooperating ring 52, which may cause the cooperating ring52 to expand circumferentially into the cooperating recess 51, which maycause the cooperating ring 52 to engage one or more surfaces of thecooperating recess 51 (e.g., one or both of the recess outer surfaces55, a vertex 51 a, 51 b, a recess ramp 54, etc. and/or combinationsthereof). This expansion also may cause the cooperating ring 52 todisengage the recess ramp 54, an axial surface 56 c, and/or an angledsurface 56 b.

In an aspect, the functionality of the shaft seal assembly 10 may beless sensitive to relative axial movement and/or displacement betweenthe rotor 30 and stator 20 than designs in the prior art. Even when therotor 30 is moved in an outward-axial direction with respect to thestator 20, the cooperating ring 52 may remain in contact with one recessouter surface 55, the recess ramp 54 formed in the cooperatingprojection 56, an angled surface 56 b, and/or an axial surface 56 c.However, other configurations may be used without limitation unless soindicated in the following claims.

Furthermore, the design of a shaft seal assembly 10 may be easier toassemble when compared to designs found in the prior art. This may betrue because the configuration of the various surfaces of the ringcavity 50 may be such that the cooperating ring 52 experiences lessshearing force when the rotor 30 is engaged with the stator 20.

Finally, for a given axial dimension, the shaft seal assembly 10 may beconfigured with more features to mitigate contaminant ingress and/orlubricant egress as compared to designs found in the prior art. Thispotential benefit may be a result of the fact that the illustrativeaspects of the shaft seal assembly 10 may have a ring cavity 50 with atleast a portion thereof located in an area of the stator 20 and/or rotor30 that would have gone unused in the bearing isolator 10.

The materials used to construct the shaft seal assembly 10 and variouselements and/or components thereof will vary depending on the specificapplication thereof, but it is contemplated that polymers, metals, metalalloys, natural materials, fibrous materials, and/or combinationsthereof may be especially useful in some applications. Accordingly, theabove-referenced elements may be constructed of any material known tothose skilled in the art or later developed, which material isappropriate for the specific application of the present disclosurewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosureunless so indicated in the following claims. Further, the O-ring(s) 18and/or skates 18 a may be constructed of any material suitable for thespecific application of the shaft seal assembly 10, which materialincludes but is not limited to polymers with embedded metallic features,synthetic materials, elastomers, natural materials, and/or combinationsthereof without limitation unless so indicated in the following claims.

The cooperating ring 52 may be constructed of a solid toroid formed froma nitrile or flora-elastomer material, such as viton, which ismanufactured by Du Pont. The cooperating ring 52 may be formed to have alow durometer hardness, shore A, ranging from 40-70 so that thecooperating ring 52 is resiliently deformable. However, other materialsmay be used to construct the cooperating ring 52 without limitationunless so indicated in the following claims. The cooperating ring 52 maybe configured such that it may increasingly deform and lift away fromengagement with the stator 20 as the centrifugal forces increase. Thesecentrifugal forces increase in squared proportion to the linear speed ofthe moving cooperating ring 52.

Having described preferred aspects of the various methods andapparatuses, other features of the present disclosure will undoubtedlyoccur to those versed in the art, as will numerous modifications andalterations in the embodiments as illustrated herein, all of which maybe achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, the methods and embodiments pictured anddescribed herein are for illustrative purposes only, and the scope ofthe present disclosure extends to all method and/or structures forproviding the various benefits and/or features of the shaft sealassemblies unless so indicated in the following claims. Furthermore, themethods and embodiments pictured and described herein are no waylimiting to the scope of the bearing isolator 10 and/or explosion-proofcurrent diverting device 10′ unless so stated in the following claims.

Any dimensions are for illustrative purposes only and in no way limitthe scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the shaftseal assembly 10 and various elements thereof are not limited to thespecific embodiments pictured and described herein, but are intended toapply to all similar apparatuses and methods for mitigating and/orpreventing ingress of contaminants and/or egress of lubricants, or whichsimilar apparatuses and methods provide other benefits or features ofthe shaft seal assembly 10 and/or a component thereof. Modifications andalterations from the described embodiments will occur to those skilledin the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the shaft sealassembly 10.

Any of the various features, components, functionalities, advantages,aspects, configurations, etc. for the shaft seal assembly 10 disclosedin the present application may be used alone or in combination with oneanother depending on the compatibility of the features. Accordingly, aninfinite number of variations of shaft seal assembly exist.Modifications and/or substitutions of one feature, component,functionality, aspect, configuration, etc. for another in no way limitthe scope of shaft seal assembly 10 unless so indicated in the followingclaims.

It is understood that the shaft seal assembly as disclosed hereinextends to all alternative combinations of one or more of the individualfeatures mentioned, evident from the text and/or drawings, and/orinherently disclosed. All of these different combinations constitutevarious alternative aspects of the shaft seal assembly 10, and/orcomponents thereof. The embodiments described herein explain the bestmodes known for practicing the shaft seal assembly 10 and/or componentsthereof and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the same.The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to theextent permitted by the prior art.

While the shaft seal assembly 10 and components thereof have beendescribed in connection with preferred aspects and specific examples, itis not intended that the scope be limited to the particular embodimentsset forth, as the embodiments herein are intended in all respects to beillustrative rather than restrictive.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended thatan order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possiblenon-express basis for interpretation, including but not limited to:matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps or operationalflow; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization orpunctuation; the number or type of embodiments described in thespecification.

1. A shaft seal assembly comprising: a. a stator configured forengagement with an equipment housing, said stator comprising: i. astator body; ii. a cooperating projection extending from said statorbody; b. a rotor configured for engagement with a shaft having an axisof rotation and extending from and rotatable with respect to saidequipment housing, said rotor comprising: i. a rotor body; ii. acooperating recess, wherein said cooperating recess and said cooperatingprojection form a ring cavity; c. a cooperating ring positioned in saidring cavity, said ring cavity comprising: i. a radial vertex at aradially outward point of said cooperating recess; ii. a first recessouter surface extending away from said radial vertex in a generallyaxially and radially inward direction, wherein said first recess outersurface is oriented such that it is angled with respect to said axis ofrotation of said shaft and a plane normal to said axis of rotation ofsaid shaft; and, iii. a second recess outer surface extending away fromsaid radial vertex in a generally radially inward and axially outwarddirection, wherein said second recess outer surface is oriented suchthat it is angled with respect to said axis of rotation of said shaftand said plane normal to said axis of rotation of said shaft.
 2. Theshaft seal assembly according to claim 1 wherein said ring cavityfurther comprises an axial vertex at a terminus of said second recessouter surface opposite said radial vertex.
 3. The shaft seal assemblyaccording to claim 2 wherein said ring cavity further comprises a recessramp extending away from said axial vertex in a generally radiallyinward and axially inward direction.
 4. The shaft seal assemblyaccording to claim 3 wherein said ring cavity further comprises aninflection point at a terminus of said recess ramp opposite said axialvertex.
 5. The shaft seal assembly according to claim 4 wherein saidring cavity further comprises a recess lip at a terminus of said firstrecess outer surface opposite said radial vertex.
 6. The shaft sealassembly according to claim 5 wherein said ring cavity further comprisesan angled surface, wherein said angled surface is formed on saidcooperating projection.
 7. The shaft seal assembly according to claim 6wherein said ring cavity further comprises a second angled surface,wherein said second angled surface is formed on said cooperatingprojection.
 8. The shaft seal assembly according to claim 7 wherein saidcooperating projection further comprises a radial surface, wherein saidradial surface is positioned adjacent said angled surface.
 9. The shaftseal assembly according to claim 8 wherein said cooperating projectionfurther comprises a terminal surface, wherein said terminal surface ispositioned adjacent said rotor.
 10. The shaft seal assembly according toclaim 9 wherein said ring cavity further comprises an axial surface,wherein said axial surface is positioned between said second angledsurface and said terminal surface, and wherein said axial surface isformed on said cooperating projection.
 11. The shaft seal assemblyaccording to claim 10 wherein said recess ramp is further defined asbeing angled with respect to said axis of rotation of said shaft andsaid plane normal to said axis of rotation of said shaft.
 12. The shaftseal assembly according to claim 11 further comprising a cooperatinginterface between said stator and said rotor, wherein said cooperatinginterface is radially inward with respect to said ring cavity.
 13. Theshaft seal assembly according to claim 12 wherein said cooperatinginterface is further defined as being positioned between said terminalsurface and a rotor radial projection extending in a radially inwarddirection beyond said inflection point.
 14. The shaft seal assemblyaccording to claim 13 wherein said rotor further comprises a rotor axialprojection, and wherein said cooperating recess is further defined asbeing formed in a portion of said rotor axial projection.
 15. The shaftseal assembly according to claim 14 wherein an axially inward surface ofsaid rotor axial projection is further defined as being positionedadjacent said radial surface of said cooperating projection.
 16. Theshaft seal assembly according to claim 15 wherein said radial vertex andsaid axial vertex are further defined as being smooth.
 17. The shaftseal assembly according to claim 16 wherein said first and second recessouter surfaces are further defined as being angled with respect to oneanother by an amount greater than ninety degrees.
 18. The shaft sealassembly according to claim 16 wherein said second recess outer surfaceand said recess ramp are further defined as being angled with respect toone another by an amount greater than ninety degrees.
 19. The shaft sealassembly according to claim 16 wherein said recess ramp is furtherdefined as being angled between three forty-five degrees with respect tosaid plane normal to said axis of rotation of said shaft.
 20. A shaftseal assembly comprising: a. a stator configured for engagement with anequipment housing, said stator comprising: i. a stator body; ii. acooperating projection extending from said stator body; b. a rotorconfigured for engagement with a shaft having an axis of rotation andextending from and rotatable with respect to said equipment housing,said rotor comprising: i. a rotor body; ii. a cooperating recess,wherein said cooperating recess and said cooperating projection form aring cavity; c. a cooperating ring positioned in said ring cavity, saidring cavity comprising: i. an axial vertex at an axially outward pointof said cooperating recess; ii. a first recess outer surface extendingaway from said axial vertex in a generally axially inward and radiallyoutward direction, wherein said first recess outer surface is orientedsuch that it is angled with respect to said axis of rotation of saidshaft and a plane normal to said axis of rotation of said shaft; and,iii. a recess ramp extending away from said axial vertex in a generallyradially and axially inward direction, wherein said recess ramp isoriented such that it is angled with respect to said axis of rotation ofsaid shaft and said plane normal to said axis of rotation of said shaft.21. A method of positively sealing a cooperating interface between astator and a rotor, said method comprising: a. configuring a stator toengage an equipment housing, said stator comprising: i. a stator body;ii. a cooperating projection extending from said stator body; b.configuring a rotor to engage a shaft having an axis of rotation andextending from and rotatable with respect to said equipment housing,said rotor comprising: i. a rotor body; ii. a cooperating recess,wherein said cooperating recess and said cooperating projection form aring cavity; c. positioning a cooperating ring in said ring cavity, saidring cavity comprising: i. an axial vertex at an axially outward pointof said cooperating recess, wherein said cooperating interface extendsfrom said ring cavity in a generally radially inward direction; ii. afirst recess outer surface extending away from said axial vertex in agenerally axially inward and radially outward direction, wherein saidfirst recess outer surface is oriented such that it is angled withrespect to said axis of rotation of said shaft and a plane normal tosaid axis of rotation of said shaft; iii. a recess ramp extending awayfrom said axial vertex in a generally radially and axially inwarddirection, wherein said recess ramp is oriented such that it is angledwith respect to said axis of rotation of said shaft and said planenormal to said axis of rotation of said shaft; d. allowing saidcooperating ring to cover said cooperating interface at a position ofsaid cooperating interface that is adjacent said ring cavity; and, e.allowing said cooperating ring to extend in a generally radially outwarddirection when said shaft rotates at a predetermined speed such thatsaid cooperating ring does not cover said position of said cooperatinginterface.
 22. A shaft seal assembly comprising: a. a stator configuredfor engagement with an equipment housing, said stator comprising: i. astator body; ii. a radial projection extending from said stator body ina radially inward direction, wherein said radial projection is formedwith an exterior surface thereon; b. a rotor configured for engagementwith a shaft having an axis of rotation and extending from and rotatablewith respect to said equipment housing, said rotor comprising: i. arotor body; ii. a radial projection extending from said rotor body in aradially outward direction, wherein said rotor radial projection isformed with an exterior surface thereon; and, c. a first externalinterface between said stator and said rotor, wherein a radial dimensionof said first external interface increases in a generally axially inwarddirection from said exterior surface of said radial projection.